‘Hurt Locker’ Producer Banned from Attending Oscars

“Hurt Locker” producer and financier Nicolas Chartier will not be allowed to attend the 82nd annual Academy Award ceremony on Sunday, thanks the email he sent last week to Academy members urging them to vote for Hurt Locker over “the $500M film” — a clear reference to Avatar. Academy rules prohibit “casting a negative or derogatory light on a competing film.”

The penalties did not affect the film itself, or its other three producers: director Kathryn Bigelow, screenwriter Mark Boal and producer Greg Shapiro. With no evidence to suggest that the other filmmakers, the film’s distributor or its P.R. company had any idea about the emails, the committee, according to one insider, drew
“a very clear dividing line between Chartier and the rest of the filmmakers.”

The committee reportedly considered recommending that the Board of Governors rescind Chartier’s nomination, but decided against that step. If “The Hurt Locker” is named Best Picture, Chartier will receive his Oscar statuette at a future date.

Full text of the AMPAS press release banning Chartier after the jump:

Academy Penalizes Aggressive Campaigner

Beverly Hills, CA (March 2, 2010) — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that, should “The Hurt Locker” be announced as the recipient of the Best Picture award at Sunday’s ceremonies, only three of the picture’s producers will be present for the celebration. The fourth of the film’s credited producers, Nicolas Chartier, has been denied attendance at the 82nd Academy Awards as a penalty for violating Academy campaigning standards.

Chartier had recently disseminated an email to certain Academy voters and other film industry figures in which he solicited votes for his own picture and disparaged one of the other contending films. Academy rules prohibit “casting a negative or derogatory light on a competing film.” The executive committee of the Academy’s Producers Branch, at a special session late Monday, ruled that the ethical lapse merited the revocation of Chartier’s invitation to the Awards.

The group stopped short of recommending that the Academy governors rescind Chartier’s nomination. If “The Hurt Locker” were to be selected as Best Picture, Chartier would receive his Oscar statuette at some point subsequent to the March 7 ceremonies.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT/ 8 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.